Naruto Shippūden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 is a game developed by CyberConnect2 and published by Namco-Bandai games for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. It was released on March 8th 2013 in Europe, March 5th in North America, and was released on April 18th in Japan. The game starts with a flashback from the beginning of the Nine-Tails' Attack on Konoha and then starts with the Five Kage Summit Arc, ending with an alternate turn of events in the Shinobi World War Arc. In Europe, the game is available in a "Will of Fire Edition" and "True Despair Edition".

Contents

Gameplay

A limited time download was available for Naruto, which allowed players to use Goku's classic turtle gi from Dragon Ball Z.

Namco Bandai stated that the game will feature a 'more profound' story and a combat system that is 'aimed to further evolution'. Other than the usual form of Awakening, renamed Adversity Awakening, the game introduces a new element called Instant Awakening where players can go into awakening mode at any point during the battle, even in the middle of a combo. The down side of being in an Instant Awakened state is that it depletes a player's chakra. If a player depletes their chakra completely while in an Instant Awakening, they will have to wait for a period before being able to charge their chakra. Also characters who are awakened can now be grabbed or hit by an ultimate jutsu.

Similar to Naruto Shippūden: Clash of Ninja Revolution 3, and other Naruto Wii games, characters can now be knocked out of the ring, but in this game, unless a support character is sacrificed, this will always result in an automatic loss of the match. Also, there will be stage destruction in addition to ring outs. It's also confirmed that there is a new addition in the Team Attack System as the player can now use their support characters to get ready to charge and attack. Also, support characters now have health bars and once their health is depleted, the support player can no longer be used and their body will remain on the stage lifeless.

Boss battles will also make their return to the game. The game will also have the return of missions in Konoha during story mode. The story mode will also feature "hack and slash" battles, similar to Naruto Shippūden: Ultimate Ninja Impact. There will be a new system known as "The Ultimate Decision", where players will be able to follow two different paths in the game which are the Legend and Hero paths. Legend path is mostly difficult in battles while Hero path is the opposite. Choosing a path will give a player good amount of points on the chosen path if the battle is completed.

Development

Naruto Shippūden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 was first announced by Namco Bandai Games in June 2012 in the manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump. With the official announcement, Yusuke Sasaki from Namco Bandai promised improvements regarding the fighting system and the story mode. CyberConnect2 CEO Hiroshi Matsuyama also promised the return of "epic boss battles" that were absent in Naruto Shippūden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Generations.

In August 2012, CyberConnect2 started a new suggestion form in their official website, requesting players from all over the world their opinions regarding what they would like to see in Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 and upcoming Naruto games they would release. In July 2012, Comic-Con International, Namco Bandai Games America representatives confirmed plans for a Spring 2013 release in North America.

In October 28, London MCM Expo, CyberConnect2 CEO Hiroshi Matsuyama announced a card edition, a poster, a Naruto DLC Goku costume, the original Naruto Storm 3 soundtrack, the Naruto Storm 3 game, a figurine by Banpresto, and a Naruto edition and a Sasuke edition. They also stated that those who pre-order will get five free downloadable costumes, including Armoured Naruto. This game is rated T for Teen. There is a "violent imagery" filter that can be turned on or off, for people under 13.

In January 4, 2013, Hiroshi Matsuyama announced that there will be over 80 playable characters.

Non-Canon Game Ending

As the war is still on-going in the anime and manga, a non-canon ending to the story was made.

Defeated, Tobi, Madara and Kabuto fall back, thus giving victory to the Allied Shinobi Forces. The Five Great Shinobi Countries shinobi return to their villages while Kage discuss on preparing for a counterattack against Madara's group along with bettering the peace between them and their countries. Naruto is congratulated for his victory upon awakening from his battle with Tobi in Konoha and is spurred by the spirits of his parents to join his friends.

Glitches

There is currently a glitch during the Five Kage vs. Madara battle. Once A and Ōnoki use their combination against Madara, the sound of electricity continues in the background for the rest of the battle.

There appears to be a glitch that occurs when the player has a Naruto Shippūden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Generations save file before playing. Any character unlocked via the save file will not be able to unlock different support types such as attack, guard and balance. However, if the player downloads a DLC that contains a costume for a character without all 3 support types, they will get the 3 support types for that character.

Similar to Naruto Shippūden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Generations, non-playable characters can be made playable through manipulation of game data. In Naruto Shippūden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3, the reincarnated Kage can be made playable through this method, but their movesets are incomplete and only available in the campaign.

In Ultimate Adventure via Collections, if you play A's ultimate technique only his technique will be shown, but not himself executing the technique.

DLC costumes on characters with physical changes on Awakening, examples include Jiraiya in Sage Mode and Naruto in Chakra Mode, are reverted to the original costumes upon transformation and return once the awakening ends.

Trivia

Hiroshi Matsuyama, president of CyberConnect2, mentioned in an interview that, other than Hiruzen Sarutobi, there would be no characters from Part I. This is not true, due to the fact that Hashirama Senju, Tobirama Senju and Kimimaro are playable, as well as the Part I iterations of Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, Neji, Lee, Hinata and Gaara. However, it was revealed that what Matsuyama said was mistranslated. He meant to say that not all of the Part I characters would return in Storm 3.

While wearing the School uniform, Sasuke will not wear his sword on his belt. Instead, whenever he uses his sword in his attacks, it appears through a summoning and will disappear after his attack ends.

In the story mode when Naruto Uzumaki meets the other jinchūriki and tailed beasts, Utakata asks if Naruto remembers him when introducing himself, referencing a filler arc in the anime, where the two jinchūriki had previously met. This only happens in the English version however, as the Japanese audio makes no mention of a prior meeting.